All Education
An iPad for every student? What Los Angeles school district is thinking.The Los Angeles Unified School District is passing out iPads to all 650,000 of its students this fall, part of a $1 billion high-tech investment. Whether that's a smart move depends on teacher training and a host of other factors, experts say.
Colleges with the best value? New rankings upend conventional wisdomWashington Monthly this week released 'bang for your buck' rankings of colleges and universities. The rankings come a few days after President Obama launched a major initiative around college affordability.
Chicago opens new school year: Will it be less testy than the last?With 48 schools closed (and two more set to close), some 12,000 students had to find their way to new schools, sometimes through dangerous neighborhoods. Budget cuts and controversy over teacher evaluations loom, but the top concern is safety of students in transit.
'The Donald' suggests Obama was in on lawsuit against Trump UniversityDonald Trump on Monday implied that President Obama may have helped plan a lawsuit filed by New York's attorney general. According to the suit, Mr. Trump's for-profit enterprise defrauded consumers.- Online charter school CEO indicted for misused funds. Do laws need tightening?Nicholas Trombetta, former CEO of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, has been charged with diverting more than $8 million of taxpayer money away from the school for a condo, airplane, and other expenses.
Obama to rank colleges. So can you, with no wait. Here's where to look.President Obama aims to have a new federal database, by 2015, that ranks colleges for the value they provide to students. But plenty of online sites that aim to do the same are up and running now.
Obama, on bus tour, to unveil new strategy to curb college costsCollege costs increased 600 percent in the past 30 years, and federal aid enabled it. What's needed is a 'shake up,' Obama told supporters – and it may not be popular with 'some who've made higher education their business.'
Americans' confidence rising in public school teachers, poll findsPublic school teachers have taken a bashing, in part because of moves to tie student scores on standardized tests directly to teacher performance. Now, a new poll suggests that Americans' confidence is rising in their neighborhood schools and the people who run them.
FocusIs your student 'competent'? A new education yardstick takes the measure.A new learning regimen requires pupils to show proficiency in 'core competencies' for each subject – with no exceptions. It's called competency-based education. Here's who's trying it and what it entails.- FocusA faster, cheaper way to go through college – and emerge 'competent'?Advocates of competency-based learning see it as a potential game changer for higher education. The approach can make college degrees more affordable, and can assure employers that graduates have mastered a defined set of ideas and skills.
- College costs keep rising faster than inflation, survey saysCollege tuition costs, as well as room and board, are racing upward. Tuition and fees at community colleges are up 24 percent more than inflation over the past five years, according to a new College Board survey.
Chinese students coming to US middle schools? It's starting to happen.Less than a decade ago, virtually no Chinese students attended American middle and high schools, but that is rapidly changing, as Chinese students seek a different educational experience.
New York test scores hint at hard road ahead for Common CoreNew York is among the first of 45 states to test students as it implements new standards for college- and career-readiness. The poor results mean the Common Core reforms will require patience.
Rocky's law: Illinois schools to carry catastrophic insurance for athletesIllinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law that aims to 'provide comfort to sports families across Illinois' by requiring schools to have insurance to cover serious injuries to student athletes – and avoid lawsuits.
Florida education chief Tony Bennett resigns over how a C became an ATony Bennett stepped down after reports that, while directing Indiana schools, he upped the grade of a charter school reportedly run by a major GOP donor. It's a blow to attempts to grade schools.
House GOP pushes through curbs on No Child Left BehindThe House bill rolls back much of the accountability requirements for the No Child Left Behind law. It also locks in lower levels of federal funding. The Obama administration threatened a veto.
Senate back at student loans as pressure and rates mount, but deal elusiveA key student loan rate doubled last week after Congress refused to act, but the majority Democrats in the Senate are split and the party leadership is looking for a short-term fix.
To the mat: Parents to appeal ruling allowing yoga in public schoolsA San Diego judge ruled that teaching yoga in Encinitas, Calif., public schools does not violate First Amendment protections against religious indoctrination. The attorney for the parents says there are several avenues for appeal.- Charter schools inconsistent but improving, national study findsAn update of a landmark 2009 study showed charter schools on the whole have turned their performance around and are serving poor and minority students especially well.
Hillary Clinton's next big thing? Early childhood project called 'Too Small.'Hillary Clinton, a longtime children's advocate, helped launch the Too Small to Fail initiative that aims to bring parents, businesses, and communities together on behalf of children under age five.
